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New Report Released on Improving Midwifery Access in the Canadian Arctic

As reported by Eye on the Arctic on May 3, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada has published a report, titled “Improving Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Service across Inuit Nanangat,” calling for enhanced access to midwifery services and culturally sensitive birthing practices in the Arctic. It states that current practices are financially unsustainable and contribute to severe stress due to separation from families and cultural support networks. The report also shares findings from the National Inuit Midwifery Forum held in March 2023, which was co-hosted by Pauktuutit. (Eye on the Arctic)

Take 1: The new report by Pauktuutit draws attention to the unequal access to healthcare in the Arctic and illustrates the continued impacts of Canada’s colonization of the North. Indigenous midwives were once central to Inuit communities, but like other important cultural practices, midwifery was lost in many areas due to harsh assimilation policies and systemic bias against traditional healthcare systems. Due to the lack of primary care and the historic underinvestment in reproductive health in the region, it has been a longstanding federal health policy to pressure Inuit women to give birth hundreds of miles away in hospitals in the South, known as forced birth evacuations. Moreover, since pregnant women are often evacuated alone and long before their due dates, they are separated from their families, culture, and language for extended periods. Thus, forced birth evacuations can be traumatizing and dangerous for Inuit women. Yet, despite the severe colonial policies, midwives still practice in a few Arctic communities, highlighting their continued importance. For instance, midwives in Nunavik have worked in the maternity ward since 1986, successfully integrating traditional knowledge and modern medicine. Therefore, the report should compel the Canadian government to invest more in local health care that is rooted in cultural context, meet the needs of the region’s families and women, and support Inuit communities in revitalizing their traditional practice of midwifery. (Centre de santé Inuulitsivik, National Council of Indigenous Midwives, The New York Times)

Swedish Police Conclude Derailment Incident Was Not Sabotage

As reported by The Barents Observer on May 8, using information provided by the Accident Investigation Authority, the Swedish police have determined that the recent derailment of an empty iron ore train was not an act of sabotage. The train, en route to Kiruna, Sweden, from the Norwegian port of Narvik, derailed on February 24. The Accident Investigation Authority has published its intermediate findings, detailing that some of the wheels on the train derailed during slow movements through a left curve, ultimately pushing seven wagons off the track. (The Barents Observer)

Take 2: Following the derailment of the iron ore train in February, there was considerable speculation of sabotage, especially due to the national significance of the railway. The closure of the track was a severe challenge for Swedish mining company LKAB, which supplies 80% of iron ore to Europe, since the firm uses the trains to transport ore from the mines in Kiruna to Narvik’s deep-sea port for export. Additionally, the railroad is strategically important for NATO, as it could be used to move allied military hardware from Norway into Sweden. Although the investigation concluded that the derailment was not an act of sabotage, the incidents emphasize the vulnerability of critical national infrastructure in the Arctic, particularly given the region’s harsh operating conditions. Due to the winter weather, the railway was closed for two months to repair and clear the track. Elsewhere, an iceberg grounding on the seabed severed a subsea fiber optic cable in Alaska last June, and thawing permafrost has damaged pipelines in Canada and Russia. Therefore, while the deliberate targeting of critical infrastructure is a threat to national security, the changing Arctic environment also presents a serious risk. To mitigate vulnerabilities and strengthen the resilience of these structures, governments must consider a broad range of threats, especially from the environment. (Arctic Today, Forbes, Polar Journal, The Barents Observer)

US Polar Icebreaker Program Delayed – Again

As reported by Alaska Public Media on May 7, testimony during a House Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security hearing revealed that the US Coast Guard’s plan to construct three heavy icebreakers is five years behind schedule and about $3 billion over budget. The hearing also found that the functional design of the icebreakers, known as Polar Security Cutters (PSC), has not been finalized and is only 67 percent complete. The first vessel is now expected to be delivered to the Coast Guard no earlier than 2029. (Alaska Public Media)

Take 3: The testimony at the hearing is concerning as it marks yet another delay in the US polar icebreaker program. Arctic security has been a growing concern for lawmakers in the US, leading Congress to authorize the construction of several new icebreakers, especially since the US has a significantly smaller fleet than Russia. Although the number of icebreakers is not a meaningful comparison given that Russia has a vastly greater Arctic coastline, the US is facing a critical shortage of these specialized vessels and only has two working icebreakers, the Polar Star and the Healy. In its own analysis, the US Coast Guard concluded that the service would require 8 to 9 polar icebreakers to conduct its missions in the Arctic and Antarctic. Additionally, at 48 years old, the USCGC Polar Star is now well past its intended service life of 30 years and has suffered multiple mechanical failures. Icebreakers perform and support a range of essential operations in the Arctic, from conducting scientific research to search and rescue. Moreover, with climate change making the Arctic more accessible to commercial activity, there is growing demand for maritime law enforcement in the region, such as preventing illegal fishing and ensuring environmental protection. Thus, these continued delays to the icebreaking program hinder the US’ ability to operate in the changing region and defend its vital Arctic interests. (Congressional Research Service, RAND Corporation, War on the Rocks)

Sweden Publishes Report on Hate Crimes Against Sami

As reported by Eye on the Arctic on May 6, the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention has released a report on hate crimes against the Sami community. Based on information from police reports, the publication found that the most common crime was the deliberate targeting of reindeer in Sami areas, often by landowners, hunters, or farmers. These include hit-and-runs, attacks on reindeer, and other threats to reindeer herders. The researchers also noted that while these crimes are directed specifically towards reindeer herders, they lead to increased worry and insecurity in the broader Sami community. The Sámi are an Indigenous People native to the northern regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. (Eye on the Arctic)

Take 4: Like Indigenous Peoples elsewhere in the Arctic, the Sami in Sweden have been subjected to centuries of persecution and severe colonial policies. Aggressive assimilation measures removed the Sami from their lands, devastated their language and culture, and inflicted lasting trauma on communities. The new report on hate crimes illustrates that discrimination against the estimated 20,000 Sami living in Sweden remains a pressing concern to this day. Historically, Sami lands were forcibly taken to exploit the region’s natural resources. Disputes over traditional lands seem to continue to be a driving factor in hate crimes, with landowners, hunters, and farmers seeking to restrict reindeer herders in certain areas. While these crimes have direct impacts on the reindeer and their herders, the violence also perpetuates a sense of fear throughout the community and erodes Sami culture. In particular, insecurities have led many community members to refrain from publicly identifying as Sami. These appalling crimes further demonstrate Sweden’s failure to guarantee the human rights of the Sami people. While the report is an important first step in identifying the issue, it is imperative that the Swedish government seriously consider the report’s recommendations and work alongside the Sami to protect the community from such atrocities, such as establishing a specialized hate crime unit in the Arctic and improving data. (France24, International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, Reuters, The University of British Colombia)

Researchers Conduct Field Campaign on Arctic Clouds

As reported by Phys.org on May 3, an international team of scientists conducted a nearly two-month-long field campaign, called the Cold-Air Outbreak Experiment in the Sub-Arctic Region (CAESAR), to investigate Arctic clouds generated by marine cold-air outbreaks (MCAOs). Through a series of flights aboard a C-130 Hercules aircraft and using a range of instruments, the researchers collected significant amounts of data aimed at examining cloud development and the extent to which clouds reflect and potentially contribute to the region’s rapid warming. Scientists have begun the preliminary analysis of the CAESAR data. (Phys.org)

Take 5: Clouds are complex phenomena and the lack of understanding of Arctic clouds means that they are poorly represented in climate models. Clouds have high levels of uncertainty in climate projections because they have both cooling and warming effects. In the Arctic, sea ice and snow help regulate the global climate by reflecting sunlight back into space and venting excess solar energy. During the day, bright clouds can also help reflect sunlight and provide shade, cooling certain areas. However, at night, Arctic clouds can act as a blanket that traps heat, contributing to Arctic warming. Additionally, new research has found that salty snow, pushed into the air by storm winds, contributes to large amounts of sea salt aerosol particles in the Arctic. The high concentration of these particles in the clouds raises the amount of solar energy reflected back toward the Earth and traps more heat, further increasing warming in the region. Therefore, clouds can have significant impacts on the Arctic, particularly on the region’s temperature and sea ice. With the Arctic rapidly changing due to climate change and the region so important for the global ecosystem, further research into Arctic clouds is essential to refine climate calculations and make more informed decisions. The CAESAR mission adds to this growing body of research on this topic and will generate useful insights to advance climate science. (British Antarctic Survey, NASA, Yale Environment 360)